Light Your Way To A Good Night's Sleep

(Image courtesy of Lisa Risager)

Tossing and turning at night is frustrating. There are a number of different reasons that we may not be getting the sleep we need when then sun is down. Reasons such as sleeping with your phone, procrastinating at bedtime or sleeping next to a serial snorer can be enough to ruin a good REM cycle for the night.

If you've tried everything to get your snooze on and nothing's working, the secret may be in the amount of sunlight you're exposed to during the day. Writer, Carrie McBride, from Apartment Therapy examines how moving your work space closer to the window can actually help you fall asleep at night. Keep reading to see what she has to say.

Researchers found a measurable difference in the length nighttime sleep between two sets of office workers: one seated near windows and the other seated far from windows or in windowless rooms. Subjects wore a device on their wrists that measured both daytime light exposure and sleep activity. The lucky workers near the windows were exposed to 173% more light during the workday and slept about 46 more minutes each night than their window-poor counterparts.

The study co-author called light "the most important synchronizing agent for the brain and body" and stressed the health benefits of daytime light exposure. So, if you have a home office, try to situate it near a window. If you can't, at least eat your lunch or take some calls near a window and take a walk in the sun if you can.

If your out-of-home office setting is too dark, try to get your co-workers on board to rearrange the office, change the shades or invest in some full-spectrum artificial light.

Fiat lux!

• Impact of windows and daylight exposure on overall health and sleep quality of office workers: a case-control pilot study. Ivy Cheung et al. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. June 2014 (must be a subscriber to read the full article).
• A good summary: You're Losing Sleep Just by Working in a Windowless Cubicle by Belinda Lanks on Bloomberg Business News.

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Happy Earth Day!

We'd like to wish a Happy Earth Day to everyone out there! Let's all take a moment to appreciate our planet and enjoy nature!

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Make a Bold Decor Move

Photo courtesy Wicker Paradise

We have all seen something on Pinterest that we thought would look so cool, but then said, “I could never do that.” Yes, you can! Aside from things that you may have to ask your landlord for permission for, there are still many things you can do to take risks as you decorate--from furniture, to rugs, to accessories. So here’s that motivation you need to actually put those Pinterest boards to use, courtesy of Apartment Therapy.

1. Decide to do it — This is both the easiest and hardest part. You've thought it through, debated endlessly and now it's time for a simple yes or no. It's liberating! No more, "Gee, I'd really like to have..." or "Someday I'll try a..." That day is today! Don't dawdle, say yes and don't look back.

2. Get inspired — Time for the eye candy. You have a general plan, sure, but browsing some great inspirational images will help you really nail down what you love and what turns your stomach (and with risky decisions, it's usually one or the other). This is also when you'll start to get really excited about your project, which will further cement your decision to do it. Remember: this is fun!

3. Tell everyone — Now that you've made your decision, it's time to share. Telling everyone your plan is an insurance policy that you'll actually follow through. You're accountable, see? Sure, people will have their own opinions (and may decide to share them, unsolicited) but that won't bother you because you're solid in your knowledge that you've made the right decision for you.

4. Baby steps — Don't get overwhelmed and derail your decision. No matter how big or small, breaking down your project into baby steps will help you see a clear, do-able path to the finish line. It may be scary to paint a wall pink, but it's not scary to drive to the paint store — you can do that. It's not scary to grab some paint samples, piece of cake! Now, wash your wall, no problem. Baby steps are everything.

5. Repeat after me: nothing is permanent — There's nothing you can do to your home that you can't undo; it's as simple as that. Don't overthink this. If you don't like it, you'll try something else. Yep, you've spent some time and money to learn what you don't like (a very valuable lesson by the way) and next time you'll do better. The journey to your perfect home is never-ending and that is part of the fun, so don't be afraid to make a mistake once in a while.

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Happy Easter!

We'd like to wish everyone out there a Happy Easter! Here's hoping today is a great day!

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